I did some experimenting today

[GRIMMER]

I went into the gym today to do my ME sqaut deads today and found a few things out. I was doing suspended Gms from chains today and PR'd with a 315. I was origionally going to do them with chains but forgot to bring another D-ring and instead decided to Pr with just the regulars and then try something new.

I tried suspended gms and bands atached from the bottom. I put the safety bar on the bottom holes and doubled the minis through them and around the bar. about 10-15lbs on the bottom and 40-50 at the top. It was relatively light with 225 but i was just getting a few sets of five in to work my back more and found that these feel so much better than without the bands. I mean the weight never realy gets light at the top like usual and it really improved the overall movement . Next week i will do these for a max. Thats one new exercise.

THen after some stiffleg deads ( i was trying to work my hams a little more) i still didn't feel my hams were getting what they needed and instead of diong pullthroughs as usual i decided to makeshift a Glute/ham. I can't remember who told me to do these but i finally gave them a try. I put the bar on the floor with 45's and 25's on it to hold me down and up against the wall . I then hooked my ankles under the bar and pressed my toes against the wall and proceded to do the movement. Right off the bat my left calf cramps up and my hams are screaming. The movement is similar although not as of a range of motion as a real GHR but the results were great!! I left the gym withmy hamies quivering like they hadn't been worked in month and now have a new favorite ham movement. It was so hard that i had trouble doing 4 sets of five but i help a little. Thanks to whoever told me about them. I hadn't given them atry before because i thought it would be to much of a hassle to set up but not anymore.

Just wanted to say thanks to ya'll i got a new movement and am on my way to bigger and better numbers. Sorry for the length.

 

[brianmincher]

Glute ham's are great. I tried many times to duplicate them in the gym, using nearly every piece of equipment in the place, but never with much success. Sounds like your idea was a winner though, congratulations.

For those of you with access to a stability ball and a bench, you can make a very good glute ham raise. First load up three to four hundred pounds of plates on the bench to keep it from flipping over. Then take the stability ball and put it in front of your knees, out to the side of the bench. Lay down on the ball, so that your knees are roughly in the middle of the ball, (you can adjust knee placement to compensate for hamstring strength) and hook your heels underneath the weighted bench. Then lower your body over the ball, and raise yourself back up using your hamstrings and glutes to raise your body up. As you go down your thighs should be making contact with the ball, and at the top of the movement only your knees should be on the ball.

I just got a stability ball, and came up with this idea at home. I think it works very well, and hopefully someone can get some good out of it.

B.

 

[Prometheus]

good ideas guys - Brian, that method sounds like a better approximation of the machine than doing them on the floor - and easier on the knees! I'll try it out.